Happy Birthday, Manjoume
by DancingKirby
Summary: Manjoume is the biggest star in the Pro League, and a reporter wants to know how he spent his nineteenth birthday. The answer is one that Manjoume can never tell. Neither-sided ManjoumexOC, and hints of onesided ManjoumexAsuka.


A/N: Another plot idea that I've been forming for quite some time...I finally was able to write it after a session of listening to "Here Without You" by Three Doors Down. Yeah, it's _that_ kind of fic.

* * *

"So, Manjoume-san, apparently you had something to celebrate recently!"

The reporter leaned forward in her chair expectantly. She was smiling too much…it gave Manjoume a headache. But he knew that this comment was actually an indirect question, so he had to answer it.

He gave a noncommittal grunt and replied, "Yeah…my nineteenth birthday was last week."

"How exciting! Did you have a good birthday?"

"I guess so."

"Did you do anything fun? Go out with some friends, maybe?"

Manjoume drew a blank. How was he supposed to answer _that_ one? He couldn't very well tell the truth, because this was a magazine aimed at preteen girls. His public service reps had told him to say whatever it took to preserve his clean, kid-friendly image.

But the problem was, Manjoume was _not_ kid-friendly. He had no idea how he had wound up in this mess. All his talk about being independent Black Thunder, and it had led him straight into this web of lies.

The truth was, he really hadn't done anything out of the ordinary to celebrate the occasion. It had been just another night of debauchery in the life of the currently most-beloved pro duelist in Japan…

* * *

"_Well, that was a close one, folks, but Manjoume Jun-sama pulls it off yet again! Thank you and good night!"_

_After the announcers signed off, an automated voice was broadcast, reminding the audience to dispose of all trash in the nearest receptacle. Manjoume knew there was more to this announcement, but the closing of his dressing room door cut the rest of it off._

_He took a quick shower, since adrenaline and the heat of the arena lights had caused his shirt to be stuck to his back with sweat. The announcer was right…it had been a difficult duel. He had neglected to practice that day, since he had assumed it would be an easy win because it was his birthday. Well, he wouldn't make that mistake twice!_

_After he got dried off, Manjoume changed into a more comfortable outfit…clothes that would come off with minimal effort._

_He creaked open the door and cautiously looked out into the hallway. No children waiting around for his autograph this time…their parents would have rushed them home right after the end of the duel, since it was a school night. This would make it that much quicker to get to the main event of the night._

_Manjoume briefly considered just being good for once. He had his cell phone right there…he could easily call his chauffeur, who would bring the limo around to the side of the building in a matter of minutes. Then he could go straight home and get a full night's sleep…maybe order some takeout to celebrate his birthday._

_He _could_…but he didn't want to. It had been six days since he had last done this, and he was getting restless. So instead, he dialed the number for the bodyguards that were waiting outside, and dismissed them for the night. After he accomplished this, he turned off the main hallway and into one that was narrower and more dimly lit. He knew that if anyone ever ambushed him in here, he'd be done for, but the call to satisfy his lust overrode his instinctual wariness._

_They knew his routine well by now. They knew where to wait, and how long after the duel he took to get down here. Sure enough, when he opened the side door, they were there by the dozens…his collection of groupies._

_It was a veritable sea of bleached blonde heads. The first times they had showed up, Manjoume had always chosen a blonde. They may not have known his reasons for this, but soon they all bleached their hair._

_As soon as they spotted him, the shouting started. Each girl was trying to be bolder and lewder than the next. The air filled with shouts of 'Choose me!" and "Fuck __**me**__, Manjoume-samaaa!" A few even pulled up their shirts and flashed him in their excitement._

_This was the point where Manjoume always started to wonder if he had a problem. Instead of having a nice, steady girlfriend, he associated with this filth. This display would be sickening to most other people, but Manjoume actually _liked _it this way. After all those years of perpetual virginity at the Academy, it still amazed him how all these girls were competing simply for the chance of having a one-night stand with him. Sure, they were attention-hungry sluts…but they were _his _attention-hungry sluts. Plus, it helped to temporarily fill the hole in his heart._

"_All right, everyone be quiet!" he snapped. Although they didn't go completely silent, the volume decreased enough for him to actually think. His hand drifted down to his pocket to make sure he'd remembered some condoms…good, he had. Who knows what diseases those girls might be carrying._

_Without even looking carefully, he reached into the throng and grabbed an arm at random. The girl he had chosen was not particularly attractive, but not ugly either. She'd do._

_The crowd still waited, since Manjoume sometimes chose more than one girl. But soon it was clear that it was just the one this night, and they started to disperse. They were disappointed, but they knew the drill. One day it might finally be their turn if they kept showing up._

_The one he'd chosen was staring at him, waiting for him to make the first move. At length, he cleared his throat._

"_So…I guess we should go now," he said._

_All the girl had to say was "Yeah."_

_Manjoume never liked this part. There was never any spark of compatibility during these encounters, and he knew it well. These types of girls were great at outrageous and trashy invitation, but horrible at actually conversing. So instead of replying, he took out his cell phone and finally called the chauffeur._

_There was silence while they waited for the car, and the awkwardness continued inside the car as well. Tonight seemed to be an even worse night than usual as far as small talk went. If the girl hadn't taken it upon herself to speak, Manjoume thought he might have gone crazy and started screwing her right here in the back seat._

"_So..um…it's, like, your birthday, right?" she asked as she started to rub his thigh._

_Manjoume only moaned in response._

_The girl gave a grin that almost looked feral._

"_Then I guess I should give you a present…birthday boy…" she whispered in what she obviously thought was a seductive manner. Her hand reached for the zipper on his pants. _

_Manjoume was torn between bursting out in laughter because that last thing she said seemed right out of a bad hentai manga, or just shutting up and letting her do the damn handjob. Ultimately, he saved face by telling her that he'd prefer to wait until they were at the hotel._

_A couple more minutes passed, then Manjoume decided to ask something he didn't usually bother with. But he felt like he really had no choice, since this girl was so _boring_!_

"_I don't think you said what your name was…?" he prompted._

_The girl seemed startled._

"_Oh! Well, I didn't say, but it's Atsuko."_

_Atsuko was quite disconcerted by Manjoume's sudden sharp intake of breath, then even more so the dejected slump of his shoulders. He shook his head. Why had he done that? It wasn't like Asuka was the only female in all of Japan whose name began with an "A". This was going downhill fast…he was pretty sure by now that he'd made a bad choice for tonight._

_Atsuko tried to touch his face, but he turned away. He remained in this position for the rest of the car ride, staring moodily at the garishly lit buildings. His earlier arousal was all but gone._

_By the time they reached Manjoume's preferred love hotel and he had paid for the room, he was starting to worry that he wouldn't even be able to get it up. Thankfully, that wasn't a problem, as long as he kept his eyes focused on Atsuko's bottle-blonde hair. That way, he could pretend she was a certain someone else._

_The sex itself was supremely unsatisfying. Although Manjoume did eventually reach orgasm, the feeling of release was very short-lived. Usually, he had a high sex drive, and would be up for several couplings in one night. This time, he was exhausted after just the one time. Atsuko sensed that something was amiss, but knew to stay quiet. _

_Did she think it was her fault? At this point, Manjoume didn't care what she thought. She could go laugh at his lack of prowess with her friends, and it would make no difference to him. The bottom line was, he was still searching for something he could not obtain. Every time an encounter failed to meet his expectations, he got more and more depressed. No girl would ever be able to match up to his beloved…Asuka…_

Happy freaking birthday to me_, he thought bitterly before falling asleep._

_

* * *

  
_

"I'm sorry, Manjoume-san, but are you all right? You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes!"

Oh…right. The interview was still going. He'd have to think up a satisfactory answer.

"Oh, you know," he started, "I just went out with some friends. Arcades, sushi, that sort of thing." He flashed a very brief smile for good measure.

"Sounds great!" the reporter said absentmindedly as she scribbled on her pad of paper. She had no idea. None of them ever did. They saw Manjoume Jun, G-rated superstar, because that's who they wanted to see. And so it would continue until he messed up so badly that they couldn't ignore it.


End file.
